small scale baking for home cooks & pastry nerds
A mini 4-inch chocolate cake without eggs that can easily be made vegan. This two person cake is perfect for a mini celebration or as a two person birthday cake. When I was little, tea time was a ritual. My mum and I would bake … Read More
Perfect if you’re looking for tea party dessert recipes, this recipe makes two mini, or 1 small, miso caramel and chocolate tarts. They taste like mini salted caramel chocolate tarts, but with an extra umami flavor from the miso! The miso caramel is super easy … Read More
A delicious mini Victoria sponge cakes recipe that’s made in a mini 4-inch cake pan! This lovely Victoria sponge cake recipe is made with two layers of plain sponge sandwiched with jam and whipped cream. I’m so excited to share this recipe for mini Victoria … Read More
This tea cake recipe is such a lovely choice if you’re looking for something a little special! These sweet lemon cakes are drizzled with plenty of tart lemon syrup to give you the perfect mini lemon cakes! This super simple recipe makes for some rather … Read More
These lovely chocolate chip sugar-free scones with walnuts are perfect for afternoon tea or brunch! They’re sugar-free but are still absolutely delicious! Scones are a great recipe to have in your back pocket and these chocolate chip scones are no exception! Packed with chocolate chips … Read More
My favorite small batch brownie recipe! These crinkle top brownies remind me of the box brownies I made as a kid, but they’re even better with a delicious fudgy texture and a shiny top.
This site contains affiliate links, which means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links. However, please know that I only provide links to products that I actually use and wholeheartedly recommend!
I’ve been wanting to recreate the box brownies of my childhood but in a small batch format and without the box. To my mind the perfect brownie needs to be a crinkle top brownie! It also needs to be intensely chocolatey and should definitely have chocolate chips!
This recipe ticks all those boxes, and personally I think it’s the perfect small batch brownie recipe. So give it a try and let me know what you think!
One Bowl: This little one bowl recipe comes together so easily and because you only need one bowl clean up is a breeze!
Crinkle top: I strongly believe in a crispy, crinkly, crackly top on my brownies and this recipe 100% delivers.
Small Batch: I’m a big believer in a good small batch recipe. It makes it possible to enjoy a delicious little dessert even if there’s only two of you at home! This recipe makes about 6-8 brownies depending on how you slice them and they’ll easily keep for 4-5 days so it’s a pretty ideal quantity if you ask me.
Cocoa powder: I highly encourage you to find some reasonably good cocoa powder. I tend to have a couple on hand, something cheap and cheerful and then something a little fancier. For these brownies I did a 50-50 mix of fancy cocoa powder and cheap cocoa powder but feel free to get as fancy as you like.
Eggs, oil, flour, salt, sugar, icing sugar, chocolate chips, salt and vanilla.
No baking powder: You’ll notice there’s no baking powder listed. That’s actually not a typo, this recipe makes fudgy brownies that are rich and indulgent, so I’ve left out the baking powder in order to lean into that fudgy texture.
Loaf Pan : I really love the pans from Chicago Metallic, so if you don’t have a loaf pan you like, I’d definitely recommend this one.
Whisk together the wet ingredients and then stir in the rest of the ingredients. And that’s basically all there is to it…
These bake for about 25 minutes. You want a soft center to maintain that gooey texture, so take care not to over bake them. Let them cool before slicing!
If your brownies are a little too soft for your liking just stick in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up.
As with so many dessert recipes you want to be careful not to overman your brownies. Just stir until combined and then stop.
Cakey brownies have a lower ratio of fat to flour and rely on baking powder to get a more cake like rise and texture. Fudgy brownies don’t have any baking powder and have a higher ratio of fat to flour.
The trick to making sure you get that shiny crust on your brownies is to have the sugar dissolve in the batter. The more your sugar dissolves, the shinier and more crackly the crust.
In order to dissolve the sugar in the batter, there are a couple tricks you can use. For this recipe, I’ve used some icing sugar instead of just granulated sugar because icing sugar dissolves much more easily. You can also whisk the sugar and eggs together, or even let the batter stand overnight to give the sugar more time to dissolve. Here’s a great article on brownie crusts !
You can substitute olive oil or another neutral oil like canola or sunflower oil.
If so, consider sharing on Pinterest or Instagram and tagging @MayasKitchenDaydreams – I always love to see your photos if you baked my recipe!
You can also sign up for my email list to stay informed!
This same day sourdough sandwich bread is made using Tangzhong which results in an incredibly soft and bouncy loaf of sandwich bread! I don’t often make sourdough sandwich bread because I normally find it’s far too dry. Recently though I’ve been experimenting with sourdough sandwich … Read More
These little scones are packed full of lemon flavor and finished with a delicious glaze. They’re perfect for Mother’s Day brunch, brunch with friends, brunch by your self when you’re in the mood for 6 scones – or whatever else you’re in the mood for. … Read More
This simple small batch granola recipe is so easy to make and even easier to adapt. Use the ingredients you have on hand and enjoy delicious homemade granola, whenever you want it, ready in less than half an hour!
This site contains affiliate links, which means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links. However, please know that I only provide links to products that I actually use and wholeheartedly recommend!
I’ve been buying granola for years but recently switched to making it at home and I’ve been amazed by how much better it is when you make it from scratch!
Try filling pretty jars with your homemade granola, add a little label and you’ve got a great homemade gift for friends and family! Or just store it jars and have it with yogurt and fresh fruit for breakfast!
Easy: This is probably the easiest recipe I have on this blog. You can make the whole thing in one bowl in less than 5 minutes, which is perfect for when you’re a bit short on time!
Forgiving: Don’t have walnuts? Throw in some pecans! Running low on olive oil? Use canola oil! Accidentally added an extra half cup of oats? Don’t worry about it! This recipe is so forgiving that it really doesn’t matter if you add a little too much of something, or you change up the ingredients a bit. Just try to stick to the general ratios, and you’ll be fine!
Delicious: Crispy, nutty, nicely toasted and slightly sweet, this granola is so delicious!
Not to sweet: Sugar helps your granola get nice and crispy, but too much sugar can result in overly sweet granola. This recipe strikes the perfect balance in my opinion!
Oats: Ideally use original rolled oats instead of quick cooking oats because they’ll retain their texture better.
Nuts: You can use whatever nuts you like, or even a combination. Just make sure that if you are using harder nuts like almonds or hazelnuts, you give them a quick chop to break them up a bit. You can also skip the nuts completely if you want nut free granola.
Seeds: Seeds are totally optional, but I like to use a mixture of flax seeds and sunflower seeds in my granola!
Oil: You’ll want some kind of oil in your granola. I like to use olive oil, but canola or sunflower work well too!
Sweetener: Some type of liquid sweetener gives the granola a great flavor and helps it crisp up! Personally, I love maple syrup, but honey is great too. If you choose to use syrup, make sure it’s real pure maple syrup and not the cheaper Waffle house style syrup.
Dried fruit: If you’d like, you can add dried fruit such as dried cherries and raisins to the granola.
Chocolate: Feel free to toss in some chocolate chips at the end if you like. White chocolate and cherries go particularly well together!
Just grab a large bowl and stir everything except the chocolate and dried fruit together. Make sure the oats are well coated in the liquid ingredients!
You want to bake granola on a low temperature for about 25 minutes. This will ensure you have crispy granola that isn’t burnt. It’s a good idea to stir the granola during baking to make sure the oats toast evenly.
Sprinkle the optional chocolate and dried fruit over the hot granola, give it a quick stir and the press it down onto the pan. Allow it to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.
Before letting the granola cool press it down into the pan so that it forms little clumps as it cools.
Granola is such a forgiving recipe that you can really get creative with what you put in it. Avoid wet fruits but get creative with whatever dry ingredients you’re in the mood for!
It normally is, just be sure to use gluten-free oats in your granola, and then it will be gluten-free.
Yes, simply leave out the nuts. If you’d like, you can add an extra quarter cup of other ingredients such as seeds or dried fruit depending on what you like and your allergies.
Granola is best consumed within the first month, but is safe to eat for another month after that. The main issue is that it will start to go stale!
If so, consider sharing on Pinterest or Instagram and tagging @MayasKitchenDaydreams – I always love to see your photos if you baked my recipe!
You can also sign up for my email list to stay informed!
On the hunt for your new go to sourdough bread recipe ? I gotcha covered! This basic sourdough bread recipe is easy to make and delicious dipped in soup, covered in jam or just snacked on as is! Give it a go and let me … Read More
This classic french brioche recipe is one I originally picked up while attending boulangerie (bread) school and working in London. The loaf is soft and buttery and just a tiny bit sweet. It’s absolutely delicious, and this easy brioche recipe is perfect for your next … Read More
Perfect if you’re looking for tea party dessert recipes, this recipe makes two mini, or 1 small, miso caramel and chocolate tarts. They taste like mini salted caramel chocolate tarts, but with an extra umami flavor from the miso! The miso caramel is super easy to make and the tarts are so cute!
This site contains affiliate links, which means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links. However, please know that I only provide links to products that I actually use and wholeheartedly recommend!
I cannot begin to explain how much I adore the mini tarts. I’m flipping obsessed with miso caramel, and the combination of miso caramel and chocolate ganache is honestly too amazing for words.
If you have a bit of time and a smallish tart tin lying around, I highly recommend trying these out!
Miso Caramel – The caramel for these tarts is incredible. Honestly, you could just make the caramel and have it on vanilla ice cream. It’s that good. It really is the element in these tarts that takes them to the next level.
Perfect Tea Party Dessert Recipe – if you’re looking to host the cutest high tea party ever to have graced your home, then look no further. These elegant mini tarts are perfect for a tea time spread. If you’re looking for a couple other things to go with it, you should try my mini Victoria sponge cake, which is an English classic!
Perfect for Two – This little recipe perfectly (and generously) serves two!
Chocolate Ganache – the chocolate layer for these tarts is made from a decadent chocolate ganache which is so easy to make and tastes lovely.
In terms of equipment you’ll need:
For the ingredients you’ll need the basics like flour, sugar, butter and salt. Additionally, you’ll need:
The pastry is the most time consuming step of the whole process because you have to let it rest a couple times. That being said it’s actually pretty easy to make!
Start by rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until you don’t have any large pieces of butter left. From there you stir in ice cold water and gently knead the dough together by hand.
Wrap the dough in your reusable kitchen wrap of choice (beeswax wraps work well) and let it rest in the fridge for half an hour.
While the pastry is resting, get started on the caramel. You’ll want to use your smallest pan (I used this one) and start by melting your sugar. Check out the expert tips below for caramel tips!
Once the sugar is melted stir in the butter followed by the cream. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the miso.
Set your oven to 350 F and then it’s time to go back to the pastry!
Roll out your pastry and line your tart tins. You’ll want to roll the pastry quite thin on a well floured counter using a floured rolling pin.
Line your tart cases with the pastry and then return them to the fridge for 10 minutes while your oven finishes heating.
Then bake your tart cases for 17-20 minutes until the pastry is fully baked and lightly browned.
While the pastry bakes, you can start on the ganache. Simply chop your chocolate and place it in one bowl. Microwave the cream in a separate bowl in 10 second increments until very hot but not boiling.
Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 3 minutes before stirring it together. For ganache tips you can look at this chocolate ganache post I wrote that has tons of troubleshooting info!
Now that all your components are ready you can assemble! Start by spreading the miso caramel in the bottom of the tart cases. Then pour over the chocolate ganache.
Let the tarts set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and then you can eat them as is or decorate with melted white chocolate !
Caramel can be a little tricky in that sometimes it can crystallize. I have two tips to help you avoid crystallized caramel!
Miso is a fermented soybean paste that’s originally from Japan. It’s often used in soups (Miso soup!) and sauces in Japanese cooking.
Miso tastes quite salty with a lovely umami flavor that’s very savory. The flavor actually works really well in desserts because it balances out the rich, sweet flavors from things like chocolate and caramel.
If so, consider sharing on Pinterest or Instagram and tagging @MayasKitchenDaydreams – I always love to see your photos if you baked my recipe!
You can also sign up for my email list to stay informed!
A delicious mini Victoria sponge cakes recipe that’s made in a mini 4-inch cake pan! This lovely Victoria sponge cake recipe is made with two layers of plain sponge sandwiched with jam and whipped cream. I’m so excited to share this recipe for mini Victoria … Read More